thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

The Alcoa football team is just one step away from returning to the BlueCross Bowl, but before the Tornadoes set out for Cookeville, they must survive one of the most hostile environments in East Tennessee.

Alcoa (13-0) heads to Elizabethton on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff in the Class 3A semifinals. It's the first meeting between the two schools, but the Cyclones (11-2) are already a known commodity in Blount County. Elizabethton is back in the semis for the first time since 1999, when it was wrapping up three straight trips to the final four in Class 4A. Two of those losses came against Maryville, including one at Brown-Childress Stadium in 1997. Rebels coach George Quarles, who was an assistant back then, said he loves coaching in big games there. The former wide receiver also saw his first postseason action in Elizabethton as a sophomore at Jefferson County.

"That was one of my favorite places to play," Quarles said. "There were no seats left as soon as the gates opened. ... Their fans are yelling at you. It's one of those places you dream about playing because everybody's into it."

Quarles' fondness may have something to do with getting a win in that chilly showdown 12 years ago. The Cyclones had struggled against Knoxville powers in the postseason, but they broke that streak last week, swallowing up Austin-East, 31-8. This year's Elizabethton squad has seen just about everything, and Alcoa coach Gary Rankin said he knows winning will be a challenge.

"They've got a lot, a lot of seniors that's starting on that ballclub," Rankin said of the District 1-AA champs. "They're a mature, experienced ballclub."